


Arisugawa's Locket

by Shanejayell



Series: Arisugawa's Locket [4]
Category: Excel Saga, Ranma 1/2, Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena, Tenchi Muyo!, Tenkuu no Escaflowne | The Vision of Escaflowne
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-04
Updated: 2013-01-09
Packaged: 2017-11-23 16:16:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanejayell/pseuds/Shanejayell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arisugawa Juri opens a bar for anime lesbians.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from this fanfiction, nor do I profit from it in any way. Don't sue me, you won't get anything worthwhile out of it. Comments and corrections are welcome, flames and bad language will be totally ignored. Enjoy!

Arisugawa's Locket

The small two story building was in a slightly disreputable part of Tokyo, but it stood out from the buildings around it. Unlike the run down buildings that were all around it, it was very well maintained. On the front of the building a newly erected pink neon sign glows in the fading daylight, reading in elegant script "Arisugawa's Locket." Hanging just below it, a animated sign shows a locket opening and closing, revealing a cartoon of a pretty girl inside of it.

Standing nearby the main entrance, Arisugawa Juri looked around the large room calmly, hiding any signs of the nervousness she might be feeling on this opening night. She took a quick walk around the bar to make sure that everything was all right for the grand opening they planned for later that evening.

She slid her hand along the top of the bar to check for cleanness, and gave a smooth smile to her two new bartenders. The twins were cleaning glasses and sorting the liquor bottles, Ryouko at one end, Minagi standing at the other. They were like night and day in their personalities, but both could sling drinks with the best of them.

She cleared her throat to get their attention. "How's the setup we built for you?" Juri asked the two of them pleasantly.

Ryouko snorted disagreeably, and Minagi gave her a scolding look. "What my nasty elder sister means," Minagi said with a small smile, "is that the bar's great. I don't see us having any problems." She stopped talking and looked at Juri with a bit of concern, "Would you like me to make you something?"

Juri shook her head even as she reassured her with a small smile. "I'll just get myself a cup of coffee from the kitchen," she said as she left them there with a casual wave of her hand. She walked along the length of the bar to the mostly concealed door at the far end, pushing it open to reveal the pantry just beyond. She did a casual check of the shelves, then went through another door there into the busy kitchen itself.

Sasami calmly directed the several cooks in preparing the various dishes, never raising her voice or losing her sweet looking smile. Juri had been a bit dubious about hiring a young girl like her, but once she was reminded of Sasami's cooking skills, not to mention her true age, she decided not to worry too much about it.

"Hey, Sasami," Juri said to her with a easy smile. Sasami turned to her and without any prompting from Juri handed her a fresh cup of coffee, prepared just the way she liked it. "How did you know.. ?" Juri started to ask her, honestly surprised.

Sasami smiled, pointing to a phone that was mounted up on the wall nearby, "Minagi just called me to let me know." As Sasami said this, little hearts throbbed in her eyes. Juri felt a bit relieved that Sasami wasn't suddenly becoming telepathic or something. Before Juri could say anything more, Sasami was back at work orchestrating the meals for the evening.

Deciding not to disrupt Sasami's hard work any more than she might have already done, Juri headed back out to the bar, and then out across the large dance floor itself. The hardwood floor was smoothly polished, all ready for the feet of any patrons who might want to trip the light fantastic later tonight.

"Music," Juri called out quietly, and the high quality sound system she'd ordered installed came on, the music seemingly coming from all sides. "Thanks," she said with a grin, and it cut off again as smooth as silk. It was an effort to force herself to return to her normally cool appearance as she continued onward.

Several dining tables were set up on once side, informally arranged with chairs and settings that were able to be switched around as needed. Juri had originally thought of having a more 'fine dining' set up, but Sasami and the other restaurant staff had convinced her it didn't go with the feel she wanted in the place. A group of the barmaids were over there, making sure that everything was all right.

Keiko blushed under Juri's gaze, her two ponytails swinging as she gushed out, "Hello, Juri-sama!" Juri sighed at that, but she didn't try to correct her. It didn't do any good anyway, as Keiko just ignored her and kept calling her that.

Cyberdoll May smiled over at her cheerfully, "Hello, Ms. Arisugawa."

"Juriii!" Excel yelled happily, glomping Juri and sending the taller woman staggering about helplessly before she finally slid down Juri's back and released her. Juri again found herself wondering if Excel and Wakaba were related somehow.

Hyatt gave Juri a languid wave from where she had collapsed into a nearby chair. Not for the first time did Juri wonder where the two of them had come from, but they did seem to work well together. Besides, she needed the help.

Just beyond the tables was a group of chairs and couches nearby a fireplace, and a feature that Juri knew would make many of the guests talk. The library was four tall bookcases, all well stocked, and each carrying a variety of both lesbian fiction and nonfiction. She noticed someone sitting quietly in one of the couches reading a Naiad publication, and chuckled softly.

"Did all the invitations get delivered?" a smiling Juri asked the brown hared girl lounging there. Hitomi scrambled out of the chair and up to her feet, hiding the book behind her back as she blushed fiercely. She was wearing her old school uniform, despite her being out of school for quite a while. For just a moment, Juri saw what looked like white wings shimmer around the girl, though they disappeared just as fast.

"Don't worry," Hitomi said with a smile, "I hand delivered them all." She stopped, and looked at Juri a bit anxiously, "Is it still OK if my friend Merle comes tonight?"

"It should be fine," Juri said with a nod.

She opened a door not too far from the library and walked into the medium sized sound proofed room. She smiled a bit as she looked around, she might have felt she had to install the karaoke machine, but at least this way it wasn't inflicted on everybody else.

As stepped back out into the main room to take another swing around the large interior, she saw a light on upstairs, in her business office. She took the back stairs up, past the several for rent rooms and to her office.

She swung the door open quickly, and saw Tendo Nabiki sitting at Juri's desk, going over her papers with a calculator in hand. "If we keep spending money like this, we'll never be able to make a profit," her accountant complained to Juri sourly.

"Would it surprise you to learn that I'm not in this for the money?" Juri asked her with a impish smile on her face, knowing how the young lady would react.

Nabiki looked up at her like she was totally insane. "OK, fine, whatever you say," she said, throwing her hands up with a melodramatic sigh.

As Juri walked out she added over her shoulder, "Oh, if you try selling any more pictures of us from the community showers again, I'll fire you on the spot."

Nabiki grinned back at her, "Just trying to make some spending money. Besides, weren't you complimented that your pictures went the highest?"

Juri quickly decided not to answer that particular question. Instead, she went right back downstairs, and returned to her position standing guard by the main entrance. Juri took a final look around as she said to herself softly, "It looks like we're all ready to go."

Our Cast: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Hitomi and Merle are from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.


	2. Later that Night

Arisugawa's Locket: Later that Night

Rei Ayamani was totally plastered, swaying back and forth up on the karaoke stage singing rather off key but with a lot of enthusiasm. Misato, Maya Ibuki, Asuka Langley and Ritsuko were all sitting at their table and looking on with a great deal of amusement.

"I'm surprised only two beers would do that to her," Ritsuko said to Misato quietly, so that the girls couldn't hear them.

"Maybe she's never drank before?" Misato answered her with a shrug, before taking another long drink of her can of beer.

Asuka squirmed a bit uncomfortably in her seat as Rei looked at her intensely. She'd been doing it all through the song, but now she seemed to put it up a notch.

"You are all I long for, all I worship, and adore," Rei sang, smiling warmly at Asuka, who only sweatdropped a bit.

Juri smiled a bit, noticing the light on over the karaoke room door. It had been occupied pretty much constantly all night. 'To each their own, I guess," Juri thought to herself ruefully, 'but it looks like Nabiki was right about it.'

She smiled, making her way through the crowd, greeting the newcomers and welcoming some of her old friends. Utena and Anthy looked like a fairytale couple, dancing together to the slow tunes. The pink hair was a bit shorter, and the darker girl seemed more confident, somehow, but they still fit together beautifully.

"Miss Juri?" a pleasant voice inquired behind her. She turned to see a smiling Ayeka standing right behind her. "I hope things are going well for your opening night," the purple haired girl said with real sincerity.

"Pretty good, Princess," Juri said with a nod. She looked towards the bar with a small smile as Ryouko poured drinks with her typical style, "Your girlfriend's being kept pretty busy, but I bet she'd like a visit."

Ayeka blushed brightly at that, following Juri's gaze with her own violet eyes. "You might be right," she conceded, and began to make her way through the teeming crowds to the bar. Ryouko saw her coming and stopped pouring the drinks to sweep the startled girl into a fierce kiss as the crowd cheered it's approval.

Juri looked around the bar hopefully, but she didn't see the purple haired girl she was looking for. Not that she was really expecting the married Shiori to come, but still.

While she was looking around, she noticed something odd at the dining tables and made her way over to the table full of young women there. She put her hand on a red head's arm as she said to her coldly, "Technically, I shouldn't let you in here, Ranma."

Ranma tried to look as innocent as possible even as Akane, Shampoo and Ukyo looked on with wide smiles. "She is a girl who loves other girls," Akane pointed out to Juri reasonably, fighting to hold back her laughter.

"Half the time," Juri said dryly, "the other half she's a boy who loves girls." Everybody gave her puppydog eyes, and she relented, "OK, you can stay." They all cheered up until she added, "No trouble tonight, though. If you do, out you go."

"Hey, I never start trouble," Ranma protested. Juri rolled her eyes at that, even as Shampoo and Ukyo snickered softly.

Hyatt took the nearby table's order, then she turned a odd shade of blue and promptly fell right over. She stayed on the floor and then snake crawled her way over to the kitchen even as Juri watched, sweatdropping. Looking a bit worried she quickly flagged down May to ask her, "Does she always do that?"

Cyberdoll May nodded, adding "Strangely, she gets her orders in faster and the meals all come back perfectly well." She shrugged eloquently.

Juri nodded a bit dubiously in return. "Could you keep an eye on her for me?" Juri asked her quietly, watching Hyatt weave through the dancing figures without disturbing a single one. It was almost eerie to watch.

"Yes, Ms. Arisugawa!" May said, standing at attention.

Juri winced a little at that. "Just calling me Juri would be perfectly fine," she said with a sigh. She looked at the expression of hurt incomprehension on May's pretty face and just decided to leave to alone.

"Hey, Juri!" she heard from near the main entrance. She looked up to see Haruka, Michiru and a third girl she didn't recognize come in. She went over to meet them and Haruka pulled her into a sudden hug, pounding her back.

"Hey, I'd like to use that back later," Juri grumbled under her breath, even as Haruka let her go with a soft laugh.

"We haven't seen you in months," Michiru scolded her gently. She looked around the bar admiringly, "I guess this has been what's kept you so busy."

"Rebuilding this old club into what I wanted it to be," Juri nodded her agreement. She looked at the blue hared girl standing beside them and felt her stomach suddenly drop. The girl almost looked like a female Miki!

"Down, girl," Haruka whispered to Juri, "I think she's taken." More loudly she continued, "Asisugawa Juri, I'd like to introduce our friend, Mizuno Ami."

"Nice to meet you Ami," Juri said charmingly as she shook Ami's hand gently. "Is this your first time in a club like this?"

Ami blushed, "Very nice to meet you." She looked up at Juri to ask, "Is it that obvious that I'm new at this?"

Juri smiled, "No, it's just that you're so good looking that I'm certain that I would have remembered you if I saw you before." Ami blushed at the compliment, even as Haruka not so discreetly elbowed her in the side. "Ooof!"

"Michiru, could you and Ami go get us some drinks, please?" Haruka asked even as she communicated with her girlfriend non-verbally with her eyes. Once she and Ami were safely gone, Haruka glared at Juri.

"I was a bad girl, huh?" Juri said with a little smile.

Haruka looked serious as she said quietly, "Ami has the whole unrequited love thing going on with a friend right now." With some irritation she added, "She does not need a much more experienced girl loving and then leaving her!"

"Point taken," Juri said, sounding a little hurt. "Do you really think I'd be that cruel to her?" she asked with a frown.

Haruka smiled suddenly as she drawled, "Either that or you'd end up falling in love with her. Personally, I'm not sure which would be worse!" Juri punched her in the shoulder, making Haruka loudly exclaim "Ouch!"

Our Cast This Episode: Rei Ayamani, Misato, Maya Ibuki, Asuka Langley and Ritsuko are all from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Utena, Anthy and Shiori are from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Princess Ayeka is from Tenchi Muyo. Ranma, Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo are from Ranma 1/2. And finally, Haruka, Michiru and Ami are from Sailor Moon.


	3. Juri's Tales One

Juri's Tales: Part One

"How did I meet them?" Juri repeated the question, one of her elegant eyebrows raised slightly. They were closing up after a hectic day, clearing the tables and cleaning up. Juri tried to help, on the principle that misery shared causes less trouble.

May blushed a bit under Juri's gaze. The cyberdoll hesitantly continued, "I guess I was just wondering how you met Ryouko and the others. It's obvious you've known them all for a while."

Juri noticed Excel, Hyatt and Keiko all listening intently as well. She sighed, "Back to work, and I'll tell, all right?" She was greeted with eager nods. "It all started after I graduated. I took a year off to travel across Japan, and ended up visiting a older gentleman I traded letters with at a very odd little shrine...

 

Juri walked rather wearily up the long flight of rough stone steps. She is dressed for travel, with a long coat, pants and her orange-gold hair tied back, all a bit dusty from the road, along with a large pack and a sword across her back. A fiercely beautiful woman, she looks wild and more than a bit dangerous. As she reaches the top she sees the gate, and the shrine beyond it. She looks around tiredly a moment, and is seen by a young man. He is a fair bit shorter than her, with short dark hair, white shirt and dark pants.

"Hi," he said, offering his hand, "I'm Tenchi, are you here to visit the shrine?"

Juri took his hand, answering "Nice to meet you. I'm Arisugawa Juri, and I'm here to see your Grandfather about sword training." She noticed him looking at the sword strapped to her back, and smiled slightly. Making a small gesture to the sword, she said "You'd be surprised what you can get a license for if you try long enough." Tenchi laughed, and began to lead her over to the shrine.

"So you're the one grandfather's been trading letters with! How did you talk him into training you ?" Tenchi asked with a friendly smile.

"He actually invited me. He mentioned he needed a sparing partner for his student, so once I finished school, I sent him a letter accepting his offer." Tenchi nodded with a slight smile. She smiled back, adding "I take it you'll be my fellow student ?"

Before Tenchi could answer her, happy cries of "Tenchi!" echoed down the path. He had a deer-in-the-headlights look on his face as two young woman suddenly came around the nearest building. One was dressed in a kimono style garment, that went well with her purple hair, while the other was in a form fitting bodysuit that was revealing cleavage, her hair a mix of different tones. Excellent survival instincts got Juri out of the way as the two latched onto Tenchi, talking pleasantly to him and snipping at each other.

Watching this, she heard a "Myah!" from below. She looked down, and saw a cute if odd-looking creature. It had the front of a cat, with large ears, cute face, and the front paws, but the rear end resembled a rabbit's, fluffy tail, big feet and all. "Myah, myah!" it repeated, looking at her entreatingly. She smiled a bit, and picked it up, even as the fight over Tenchi escalated in the background. The little creature nibbled the ends of her orange/gold hair, then mournfully "myah"ed softly.

"Do you want something?" Juri asked.

"Myah!" the creature affirmed.

Juri thought for a moment, looking at the sad little creature. She wasn't quite sure what it was, maybe she should just call it a cabbit? She thought quickly, running through orange foods in her mind. "Oranges?" The little cabbit looked sad. "Carrots?"

"MYAH! Myah, myah, MYAH!" The cabbit bounced in her arms happily as Juri laughed. She eased her backpack to the ground, keeping a grip on the happy cabbit, and fished out her bag of carrot slices. Being a bit tired from her walk, she sat down on the ground and fed the carrots to the cabbit, while watching the girls' fight.

It was quite a sight, she had to admit The one girl with streaked hair was flying, energy sword swinging, as the other girl manipulated energy as a shield, and lashed out with electrical bursts. Tenchi noticed her watching, and carefully made his way to her side. Sitting down beside her, he said "I suppose I couldn't convince you this was all an optical illusion?"

She smiled slightly and answered "Nope." He sighed mournfully, then fed the cabbit a slice of carrot .

"I see you've met Ryo-oh-ki." he said, gesturing to the little cabbit. "If you have carrots, she's your best friend for life." They watched the fight go on for a few minutes. "The woman with the sword is Ryoko, the purple haired girl is Ayeka. Once they calm down, I'll introduce you."

Juri chuckled, shaking her head. "No hurry. Those two do this often?" Tenchi nodded sadly. She clapped him on the shoulder as she said, "You have my sympathies. I've been in love triangles and they are NOT fun." A younger girl with long, blue hair came up the path, saw the escalating fight and shook her head mournfully. Making her way around as well, she sat down by Tenchi and Juri.

"Juri, I'd like you to meet Sasami. Sasami, this is Arisugawa Juri, here to train with Grandfather." Juri shook hands with the younger girl, and noticed the way she looked at Tenchi when he wasn't looking.

Not just a love triangle, she thought. "Hi Sasami," she said, offering her hand. "Just call me Juri, OK?" The young girl nodded happily in reply. They talked for a few moments, Sasami asking about Juri's sword, her schooling, how long she would be staying, all with a young girl's honest enthusiasm. Eventually, Ryoko and Ayeka ran out of steam, and Tenchi and Sasami were able to separate the slightly smoking girls.

Then, the two noticed how long Tenchi and Juri had been talking, and their eyes lit up with pure, unadulterated jealousy. Juri saw the girls head for her with murder in their eyes and quickly gets up and makes a "T" sign with her hands even as she cried, "Whoa, time out!" The two girls come to a stop, surprised. Juri gave them her patented Ice Queen look as she said "I'm sorry, I just finished a very long day getting here, I am very tired, and I just want to go see Tenchi's Grandfather, then find someplace I can lie down and die in, O.K.?" She looks tired all of a sudden, weary from her trip. "If you two want to tear into me, could we maybe save it for tomorrow?"

Sasami frowned disapprovingly at Ayeka, muttering under her breath. Ayeka looked a bit embarrassed, and the group helped Juri with her stuff as they headed for the main shrine. She had a quick "Hello, how are you, I'd love to stay, etc., etc." conversation with the impishly smiling older man, who asked her to call him "Grandfather" and ordered her to be housed in the Masaki home, which did not thrill the two ladies at all.

"You'll have to share a room, I'm afraid." Tenchi said as he led her to one of the upper floors of the house. The building itself seemed kind off odd to her, as it seemed to be a medium sized dwelling from the outside but had at least three floors from the inside, maybe more. Tenchi noticed her odd expression and smiled slightly.

"I'll try to show you around and introduce you to the others tomorrow, but for now I'll just introduce you to your temporary room- mates," Tenchi said. He pushed open the upper floor room after knocking, and receiving a greeting. It was mildly messy, with two mats made up as beds on the floor. Two young women stopped talking, and waved happily to Tenchi and looked with curiously at Juri. Tenchi introduced Kiyone and Mihoshi, and Juri settled down for a rest.

"Yes," Kiyone said, as she showed Juri around the house, "it really is bigger inside than outside, thanks to our resident scientific genius." She knocked on the closet door under the stairs, and they heard a shouted "Come in!"

The door opened into a massive space, with darkness stretching into the distance. A short distance in, they saw a massive laboratory, and a childlike figure working at one of the benches. She looked, physically, about the same age as Sasami, but somehow seemed much older. She watches them approach, types into her floating keyboard, then nods decisively.

"Juri," Kiyone said with a smile, "this is Washu, a good friend of Tenchi and a super genius. Washu, this is Juri..." Washu cut her off with a gesture, circling Juri thoughtfully.

She smiles sweetly, causing Kiyone to quickly back away, and says "Hi, I'm Washu, and you're interesting! How would you like to participate in my experiments ?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabs Juri, pulls her over to large banks of equipment and straps her to a chair!

Juri, firmly strapped to the chair, various electrical connections stuck to her all over, sweatdrops as she smiled slightly and remarks, "Up till now, I've always been the strangest one in any group I've been in." She looks thoughtful before adding, "But I don't hold a candle to all of you..."

 

May chuckled softly. Juri smiled, "I stayed there for a few months, training and getting to know them all."

Excel finished with her tables with a cheery smile, "So when you started this place up, you thought of them?"

"I noticed something was going on with Ayeka and Ryouko," Juri shrugged, "and once Sasami introduced me to Minagi." She shrugged, remembering the young girl's idolization of the older girl.

"So why did you leave the shrine?" May asked curiously.

Juri noticed the lateness of the hour and smiled slightly. "I'll tell you another time," she said. "We all need to rest up for tomorrow night."

"And what are we going to do tomorrow night?" May smiled, giving the straight line.

"The same thing we do every night," Excel chimed in, then all together, "Try to take over the world!"

The young women broke up laughing, and Juri sighed.

Our Cast This Episode: Tenchi, His Grandfather, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Washu, Sasami, Ryouko, Minagi, Ayeka and Ryo-oh-ki are all from Tenchi Muyo. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. May is fron Hand Maid May. Finally, Juri and Keiko are from Utena.


	4. Halloween

Halloween

There were low groans of dismay last night as Juri made the announcement at closing time. "I'll be expecting to see everyone in their costumes on Halloween night," she said calmly.

"Will you be dressing up too?" Nabiki asked her dryly.

Juri chuckled softly, "Actually, I already have my costume picked out."

"Who are you going to be?" Excel asked her cheerfully.

A soft laugh. "Wait and see," was her enigmatic reply.

 

Excel was the first to walk out of the bathroom in her costume. The blue tights, baggy white shirt and rapier sword at her side easily defined her as a fairy tale prince. She pushed a cart with a figure laying on top in a glass case, dressed up in a very old fashioned looking gown.

Nabiki stepped out in a top hat and tails, walking cane in hand. At Excel's questioning look, she explained simply, "I'm a millionaire." She grinned at Excel's expression, before asking her "What are you and Hyatt going as?"

"I'm a prince," Excel said with a shrug, "and Hyatt's my Sleeping Beauty." Hyatt sat up a bit to wave, her face got a odd color, and she flopped back over.

May stepped rather hesitantly out dressed in a naughty french maid outfit. "Does this look all right?" May asked them hesitantly. When she bent over the teeny mini-skirt hiked up, revealing a flash of panty. She pulled it back down, blushing.

Nabiki hesitated before finally saying, "But May, it's not very much different from your regular maid's outfit."

May blushed brighter as she softly explained, "Well, I just don't feel comfortable out of my maid uniform."

"Leave her alone," Keiko said with a little frown, "it's not her fault." She was dressed in a boy's school uniform, long pants and all. Surprisingly, the brown haired girl looked kind of cute, something May, at least, seemed to notice.

"Be of good heart, friends!" A voice then declared, "Your hero is here!" Sasami stepped out of the shadows. Her costume was mostly pink and really, really cute, with lots of big bows and ruffles. "I'm Pretty Sammi!" she declared.

Everybody sweatdropped at that costume. Ryouko and Minagi didn't step out, they teleported, and everybody began to chuckle softly. Ryouko blushed, adjusting her sailor senshi uniform self consciously, while Minagi in her matching outfit just grinned.

"I hope none of the Senshi come in tonight," Minagi chuckled.

"I hope nobody I know photographs me tonight," Ryouko loudly grumbled, "because I'll never live this down."

"Back to work," a voice cried, and a whip cracked down loudly. Everybody turned to look, and beheld a incredible sight. Juri grinned at them between spiked shoulder pads, a long red cape swirling around her. A red leather corset barely held back her charms. Red leather boots and stockings led up to skimpy red leather panties and a sensuously exposed middle. "The Red Queen is here," she said with an evil smile.

"Wow," Keiko whispered softly. There was complete agreement from the other young women standing around there.

Juri smiled slightly, looking around at her costumed staff. "It'll be a busy night tonight," she said calmly, "we'd better get to work."

Later that night, it was a very odd crowd indeed that filled the locket near to bursting. Not just the costumed ladies, though they were abundant. School girl and boy uniforms, togas, cowgirls, and wicked witches scrabled through the teeming crowds. But there was also a few of the more... unusual customers.

Miyu smiled slightly, drinking something that was red and thick from her delicate tea cup. A brown hared woman sat beside her, a fierce blush on her cheeks in her skimpy vampiress outfit. The cape concealed a lot, but the leotard barely covered her body, and the leather boots and gloves were uncomfortably snug.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Himiko said with a sigh, looking over at the childlike vampire fondly. It had taken her awhile to see that her desires for her were fully adult, but once she had! Himiko shivered a bit in pleasure.

Mara shifted her white angel wings a bit uncomfortably, before pushing a share of the angelfood cake across the table to her companion. Urd chuckled, her skin-tight red devil costume hugging every gorgeous curve.

"You're an angel," she said thankfully, then broke into a fit of giggles.

Mara just sighed softly in reply. "Don't push your luck," Mara cautioned her. "The truce only lasts for tonight," she continued.

Urd smiled slightly, "Then shall we go upstairs and make the most of it?"

Mara looked a bit surprised, then she grinned. "Let's go," she said, grabbing Urd's hand. The crowd cheered as the Angel and Devil clad women ran upstairs.

Saya looked thoughtfully over at Miyu for a moment, before finally deciding that she was none of her business for tonight, at least. She felt the waitress coming to her before she arrived, and said softly "Thank you, May."

May handed her a large glass of o-positive with an odd expression on her pretty face. Absentmindedly she slapped a hand away from her bottom. 'I know I was being quiet,' she thought. "Will there be anything else?" she asked calmly.

Saya looked at the standing May thoughtfully for a moment. 'She's not afraid of me at all,' she thought with a bit of relief. 'It feels kind of nice,' she admitted to herself, looking up at the french maid with a bit of amusement. "Nothing else, but thank you," she said with slightly more warmth in her voice.

Keiko watched a bit nervously until Saya let May go. A woman in a long cloak waved at her, and she rushed over. "What'll it be?" she asked.

The cloaked figure looked up, NACHO'S PLEASE. I'M EXPECTING COMPANY. The voice seemed to echo in Keiko's bones, not something she heard with her ears at all. She felt a chill run down her spine.

"You really don't need to do the voice," came from behind Keiko. She whirled around, a young woman had just appeared right behind her. Her hair was dark black, but her skin was pure white except for a bit of black paint around her eyes, matching her dark clothes. Around her neck hung a simple ankh pendant.

I SUPPOSE your right," Keiko heard the other figure's voice change. She turned to see the hood flipped back to reveal a severely dressed young woman, her black hair offset by a single white streak. "It's good to see you, love," she continued to the pale skinned figure.

"You too, Susan," she said with a smile. She sat on Susan's lap and quickly snuck a quick kiss before adding "Do you want to stay, or take off?"

Susan reached up to stroke the girl's hair back from her face, "Let's stay. I think even Death herself could have a good time here," she said with a wink. Death laughed a bit in reply, snuggling closer to her. Keiko decided things were getting too weird even for her and left.

Hitomi quite happily sat in the young lady's lap, smiling widly. She was wearing her school girl uniform again, though it seemed a little tight across the top. The other girl almost looked like a pirate in her leathers and silk blouse.

"Thanks for inviting me," Milerna said with a wicked smile, before leaning forward to nibble on Hitomi's ear.

Hitoimi gasped, wiggling a bit in her lap. "You're welcome," she managed to get out.

Major Motoko Kusanagi looked like she was having a good time, having a drinking contest against all comers. Her skin zombie green and dressed only in a leotard she took ruthless advantage of her cyborg nature to drink anybody under the table.

"Bring on the next victim!" she cried, waving the stump of one arm dramatically. Her cyborg hand was actually laying on the table, twitching occasionally. Soft footsteps echoes behind her, and she smiled admiringly as Juri slinked towards her.

'I think you've beaten all comers," the red leather clad lady said with a smirk. Juri laughed, "What did I tell you about doing that, by the way?"

Motoko made a face, "Oh come on! I'm just using a natural... well, built in advantage! It's not like I'm cheating!"

Juri sighed softly in resignation, "Come on, Ryouko makes a mean rum and motor oil. My treat." She led the eager looking Motoko away from the several dining tables covered with her unconscious victims.

Our Cast This Episode: Miyu and Himiko are from Vampire Princess Miyu OVA. Mara and Urd are from Oh My Goddess. Saya is from Blood the Last Vampire. Susan is from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Death is from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Major Motoko Kusanagi is from Ghost in the Shell. Finally, Milerna is from Escaflowne the movie.


	5. Winter's Night

Winter's Night

"What would you like?" Minagi asked the office lady with a smile. She was pretty good looking, if you liked a girl in a suit. Her face was a bit elven pointed, and her short hair was very butch. Her eyes, however, were dark and sad, as if they were carrying a deep regret.

"Rum and eggnog, I think. For the season." the woman said with a smile. Minagi teleported, reappearing in an instant in front of a freezer not far down the bar. She mixed the drink quickly and carefully, only to reappear in front of the lady with the full glass.

"Sip first," Minagi suggested with that same cheery smile. The woman took a small sip, and sighed in contentment. "Looks like I got it right," Minagi said with a smile.

Down the bar another woman cried to her, "Hey, Minagi!"

"Sorry, gotta go," Minagi said to her, and promptly disappeared again.

Juri smiled a bit, noticing the new woman looking around her in awe. It loked like she was there alone, so Juri began to make her way to her side. As she got closer, she noticed the lady stop in surprise, saying out loud "Is that a library?"

In an slightly amused tone of voice Juri said, "Yes, it is." She gave the woman a chance to look her over before she smiled down at Sonomi and said, "I'm Arisugawa Juri, and I'm the owner of this loony bin."

"Daidouji Sonomi," she answered reflexedly, offering her hand. Juri took it, smiling at Sonomi warmly. She blushed, not really knowing why.

"I noticed it's your first time here," Juri said with a smile, "and I just wanted to wish you a good time, tonight."Juri left the faintly blushing woman there, before moving off into the crowd for her hosting duties.

Sonomi got up, skirting the busy dancefloor to reach the dining tables. She took a seat, and picked up a menu off the tabletop. A few moments to read, and a server appeared at Sonomi's side. She looked up to order, and had to smile at the girl's costume.

"Can I take your order?" Cyberdoll May asked her pleasantly, her maid's uniform crisply neat and a small notepad in hand.

"Sure," Sonomi answered, looking at the girl curiously. She noticed a descrete nametag reading 'May' on the front of her dress. "Miss May," she started to say.

"You don't need to say Miss," May answered her with a sweet smile, "just calling me May is fine." She quickly jotted down Sonomi's order and then radioed it off to a kitchen before she had to trot off to answer another customer's eager wave. "She's a first timer," she added to Sasami a little while later, "so make sure everything's perfect. First impressions are important!"

Sasami laughed in reply. "Is anything that comes out of my kitchen not perfect?" she asked her pointedly.

May laughed, "Well, I do remember that time you let Ayeka help out..." They shared a short laugh at that little disaster and split up to get back to work.

A little while later, Juri smiled a bit, noticing that Sonomi was sitting with another of the new customers, Mitsuki Kaho. It was good to see the two of them laughing together, occasionally bending over the table to whisper to each other.

Bones came over to tap Juri on the shoulder and point at one of the tables. A little smile quirked her lips upward as she made her way to Haruka, first. "I think Ami got followed," she said softly, pointing out Rei, Usagi and Minako sitting nervously at a table.

They both heard a quite nervous sounding Minako ask her pretty two friends, "Is this place what I think it is?"

Haruka sighed softly, and to the sound of Juri's soft laughter went to tell Michiru first. "Gee, I guess this was a shock," Michiru said to her dryly.

"I'd better go find Ami." Haruka said. She looked around the room, eventually spotting her talking to someone over in the book nook. "It figures." Haruka muttered. She walked over, rather regretfully interrupting Ami's conversation with an good looking if slightly older woman. "It seems you've been followed." Haruka said, pointing over her shoulder to where Usagi, Rei and Minako were nervously sitting.

Ami didn't even look, keeping her back to them. "Let me guess, it's Minako, Rei and Usagi. Right?" Haruka nodded, slightly surprised. "Makoto's too private of a person to do pull something like this." she said somewhat harshly, and looked over at their table.

Misaki Suzuhara looked over at the table where the three young woman sat thoughtfully. If there was just one girl, she wouldn't feel quite so nervous about walking over there. 'I can't go up to her in front of her two friends and ask her out! What if she says no?' she thought, gazing longingly over at the black hared girl.

"We'd better go rescue them." Ami sighed to Haruka, who nodded reluctantly. They picked up Michiru and walked over to the table. Ami and Haruka detoured a moment to warn the butches that the new girls were straight, then sat with the very relieved trio.

Upon hearing that bit on news, Misaki sighed to herself sadly and then went off in a search for greener pastures. She passed a chair and stopped, her eyes wide. She sat down with a thump. 'She looked a lot like a grown up Hatoko,' she realized.

Haruka and Michiru quickly took their seats, but Ami remained standing, glaring down at her three friends. "Would you mind explaining?" Ami bit out.

Haruka put her hand on Ami's arm. "Grab a seat, and drink your drink, O.K.?" she said to her quietly. Ami paused a second, then with a soft sigh sat down.

"I'm sorry," Rei said quietly. "I started this, so if you want to be angry, be mad at me." she finished, looking steadily at Ami. Before Ami could say anything to her, the table was suddenly obscured by a long shadow.

"Ah, it's break time!" the bouncer said to them happily. "Hey, Haruka, Michiru, Ami! How's the night been treating you?" She didn't wait for an answer, and turned and smiled down at Minako. "I'm Bones," she said, "would you like to dance?" Minako looked up at the tall woman for a moment, frozen, then slowly smiled back at her.

"I'd love to." Minako answered, taking Bones' hand. It was a fast number, and in moments Minako and Bones were lost from sight in the midst of the dancing crowd.

A soft clearing of the throat, and they noticed Hyatt standing nearby. The girl's face went awfully pale, and Haruka barely caught her before she fell right over. Leaning sideways, looking much like the Leaning Tower of Piza, she asked them, "Can I take your order?"

"Pop for my four friends, whisky for me, and..." Haruka paused and looked over at Michiru enquiringly.

"Tropical wine cooler," Michiru ordered. Haruka made a face at that, and Michiru laughed softly. Everyone sweatdropped as Hyatt continued her fall, only to snake crawl her way across the dancefloor and up to the bar.

Ami sighed. "I guess because I was so mysterious when we talked at lunch, you and the others came up with this plan?" she asked the three of them. Rei nodded mournfully in reply. Ami tensed a bit. "So now you know," Ami said quietly, "that I'm a lesbian, I mean."

Rei smiled warmly back at her. "If you're happy as a lesbian, then I'm happy for you." she answered softly.

Usagi still looked like she was mildly stunned, as if she'd been hit on the back of the head. She suddenly hugged Ami, laughing aloud. "I was worried because you weren't dating boys! I'm so happy! Do you have a girlfriend?" Usagi eagerly asked.

Rei laughed. "Slow down, meatball head! Give her a chance to breathe." Usagi blew her a loud raspberry. Conversation paused as Hyatt made her way back to their table, got vertical again, and passed out the drinks.

Once she left, Haruka gently shook her head. "How does she do that?" she asked the others plaintively.

Juri watched them, not too far away, noticing how the girls interacted. Ami seemed to hang on Rei's every word, her eyes lighting up happily. 'Guess Rei's the unrequited love Haruka had mentioned,' Juri thought just a bit regretfully. Ami really was the type that Juri usually went for, except for rare exceptions.

Juri felt a soft hand come to rest on her arm, and turned to see who it was. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise as she gazed down at the beautiful young woman standing there before her. The passage of years hadn't harmed her beauty, instead it had seemed to merely smooth away the few rough edges of inexperience. Her eyes looked into Juri's own, and they seemed to see into Juri's very soul.

"Hello, Juri-sama," Shiori said to her softly, a little smile on her pretty face, "It's been a long time."

The Staff: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.

Our Cast This Episode: Daidouji Sonomi and Mitsuki Kaho are from Cardcaptor Sakura, Bones is from Cool Cat Studio (www.coolcatstudio.com), Ami, Haruka, Michiru, Minako, Rei and Usagi are from Sailor Moon, Misaki Suzuhara and Hotoko are from Angelic Layer, and finally Shiori is from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Parts of this episode , in a somewhat different form, have appeared previously in: Cardcaptor Sakura:Darkest Before the Dawn, and in Sailor Moon:Ice on Fire, both by me.


	6. Another Winter's Night

Winter's Night, Part Two

Juri stood there, stunned by what she was feeling. Obviously, she wasn't as over Shiori as she had thought she was. She stood by the pantry door, and could feel something softly bump her leg. Probably Hyatt, doing her snake impersonation again.

Sidestepping Hyatt's prone body, a badly shaken Juri managed to get out, "Hello, Shiori. It's been a long time."

Shiori smiled up at Juri shyly, "I'm sorry I couldn't get here for the grand opening, Juri-sama. I really wanted to, but..."

Juri smiled back at her, "It's all right. I'm just glad you came." She gently took Shiori's arm, leading her over to the bar. A space there was instantly cleared for the two of them, and Minagi smiled sweetly at them both.

Her twin facial scars seemed to catch the dim overhead light as she cheerfully asked, "So what'll it be, ladies?"

"My regular, please," Juri said, and she smiled as Minagi poured her a glass of colored ginger ale from an exotic looking bottle. She had decided to avoid alcohol on the job, and right now she needed her thoughts to be clear around Shiori.

Shiori ordered her drink, and then she sat down on the nearest barstool. Juri gulped, watching the hem of Shiori's short dress draw up to reveal the tops of her stockings and the clips of her garters. She turned back to Juri with a smile, "This place in incredible," and gently put her hand on Juri's arm, "could you show me around?"

Something glinted on that hand, drawing Juri's gaze over. She froze, and then quickly excused herself, begging off the tour due to work. Then she all but fled the young lady. She made sure to avoid Shiori for the rest of the evening, keeping herself as busy as possible with the patrons and her other managerial duties. Every now and then, she'd look up, meeting Shiori's gaze from one of the tables, or the dance floor.

Shiori only caught up with her again near closing time. "Thank you for inviting me," Shiori said, blushing faintly. Her eyes met Juri's shyly, "I hope I'll get a better chance to see you next time I'm here."

"We'll see," Juri said softly, holding the door open for her as she left. She turned to return to the bar when she met May's angry glare.

"Juri-sama," May said, "why did you treat her that way?" She blushed, "It's obvious she really likes you."

Juri sighed softly, remembering again what she saw on Shiori's finger. "She was wearing a wedding ring," Juri said to May gently, "and there's absolutely no way I'm becoming involved with a married woman."

May blushed brighter, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

A soft clearing of the throat behind her got Juri's attention. Sakurada Natsuna smiled over at her, "Hey, Juri. I have a big favor to ask." The brown-hared police officer said uncomfortably, "Would it be all right if I brought my sister here tomorrow night?"

"Your sister?" Juri echoes, surprised.

Natsuna looked more uncomfortable, if that was possible. "She just had a big break-up," she said, and noticing May's curious look added, "of the straight variety. She wants to go out drinking, and at least here I can keep an eye on her."

Juri met the pleading woman's gaze and sighed softly. "All right, she can visit. But keep an eye on her, please," Juri said feelingly.

Things were as busy as ever the next day. The girls were kept jumping, but they all noticed the new arrival. The tall girl may have been wearing feminine clothing, but she was very obviously tough. Brown hair down her back, a well endowed body, and green eyes that were strikingly vivid in the bar's shadows.

Keiko noticed her heading towards where one of the new girls was sitting, so she casually made her way over. The long hared blond smiled up at the other girl with the familiarity of long time friends.

"Hey Makoto. How'd it go?" the blonde haired girl asked her quietly. Makoto smiled a bit mysteriously, and the other girl sighed. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"So Minako, is your new heart throb here tonight?" Makoto asked her teasingly.

The girl called Minako actually blushed a bit as she answered her "No, darn it." Makoto laughed softly at that. Deciding to stop ease dropping, Keiko casually made her way to where the two girls were sitting.

"Anything I can get you?" she asked them cheerfully. Makoto quickly ordered a glass of Coke, but the blonde seemed to be struck dumb.

Keiko followed her gaze to a familiar woman sitting at the bar, one of the semi-regulars. Sakurada Natsuna sat at the bar, talking with another woman to whom she bore a resemblance. Deciding to stay out of it, Keiko took Makoto's order and left.

Makoto touched Minako lightly on the shoulder to get her attention. "Are you all right?" Makoto asked Minako quietly.

Minako pointed them out. "Remember her?" she said softly. "Natsuna's a police officer, and she chased me back when I was Sailor V."

"Wasn't she interested in you?" Makoto asked quietly. Minako just nodded softly. "Do you want me to keep you out of sight?"

"No, I can't hide in a corner forever." Minako said smiling. "See you later, Makoto" she finished, as she got up and began to walk over to the bar.

Ryouko served up the drinks, trying not to listen to the family feud going on at the bar. A clearly exasperated Natsuna finally said, "I'm sorry about your breakup, but getting drunk won't help. Let me take you home."

Haruna shook off her younger sister's grasp and stalked off into the crowd, and Ryouko made a mental note to be carefully how much she served her. She raised her eyebrows, and smiled slightly as the pretty blonde waited for Natsuna to notice her. Ryouko cleared her throat, pointing subtlety. Natsuna turned and saw her, her jaw dropped, then her face lit up with a smile.

"Hello, Natsuna," the little blonde said shyly.

"Minako," Natsuna said, and you could hear her happiness in her voice. Minagi drifted over to listen as Natsuna moved to hug the younger woman, but stopped herself. "How have you been?" she instead asked with a smile.

"I'm great," Minako answered. She looked at the brown hared, handsome woman and found her smile widening, a slight giggle escaping her lips.

"What's so funny?" Natsuna asked.

"Sorry," Minako said. "I was just thinking what a fool I was, back in my Sailor V days," she said quietly. "I wish I had let you catch me then," she admitted.

"Is it too late to catch you now?" Natsuna asked her with a charming smile. Minako looked at her with surprise.

"Do you still want to?" Minako asked shyly.

Natsuna smiled. "Yes, please. Unless someone has already caught you?" she asked.

"I'm free as a bird." Minako answered her, smiling.

Minagi and Ryouko exchanged a knowing grin. Softly, Ryouko said, "Bet you they end up going home together."

"Sorry, that's way too obvious," Minagi chuckled softly in reply. She looked at the two of them, staring dreamily into each other's eyes, "They're certainly cute together."

Excel had to fight the urge to laugh about what was happening on the dance floor. Poor Makoto had been dancing with young ladies half the night, but there was still a crowd of women waiting for a turn with her. Just then, Haruka cut in to take Makoto's current dance partner, while Michiru gracefully settled into Makoto's arms.

"I never knew you could dance this well, Makoto" Michiru commented with a smile. "Sorry about the mob, but once the femmes discover a new butch who can dance, well..." she trailed off and shrugged, smiling.

Makoto blushed a bit, "I don't know if I'd call myself butch." Michiru didn't comment, just smiled up at her mysteriously.

Excel took her break, and walked up to a resting Hyatt. "May I have this dance?' Excel asked her gentlemanly.

Hyatt's pale face seemed to light up as she gazed at Excel, softly answering "I'd love to." Hyatt settled into Excel's arms, slow dancing together. They passed Makoto, who smiled at the two of them wryly.

"Sorry, may I cut in?" they heard a shy voice ask Makoto. A shorter woman looked up at Makoto pleadingly. Makoto shrugged at Michiru and gently took the other woman's hand. "Thank you," Haruna said in a relieved whisper, "I'm Haruna."

They danced together awkwardly at first, until Haruna relaxed a bit. Makoto looked at her questioningly, and the slightly drunk Haruna giggled a bit. She pointed with her little finger, towards an overweight, T-shirt and jeans clad woman who was putting the moves on another girl. "She was trying to pick me up, until I told her I had a date. Then she asked me who, and I looked around and saw you. Sorry," she said again.

Makoto laughed softly, "It's no problem. You see, rescuing damsels in distress is a specialty of mine."

Haruna laughed, smiling up at Makoto. Excel sighed a bit in disappointment when they left the dance floor together, they were awfully entertaining. Then Hyatt collapsed into a boneless heap, and Excel had other things to worry about.

They two sat together at a table and talked for much of the evening. An odd couple, the older woman and younger, but they seemed to fit together well. Makoto drank very sparingly, but Haruna eventually got blotto, which created a new problem: how to get her home.

Juri walked by, noticing the drunken older woman and the younger one trying to take care of her. "Anything I can do to help?" she offered.

Makoto pushed her hair out of her eyes, "Could you call us a cab?" Haruna looked up at the two of them cheerfully, and Juri was struck by how familiar she looked.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Juri said thoughtfully, trying to place where she had seen the drunken lady before. "What's her name?" she finally asked.

The drunken lady said cheerfully, "Sakurada Haruna."

"She's Natsuna's sister," Juri said wearily. " 'I'll keep an eye on her,' she said," and Juri shook her head back and forth.

Before Makoto could think of what to say, Juri whirled around to see about getting the cab. Haruna and Makoto quietly watched her go, before sitting back down.

"Gee, she's crabby," Haruna commented, and was struck with a fit of giggles.

 

The Staff: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.

Our Cast This Episode: Makoto, Haruka, Michiru, Minako, Haruna and Natsuna Sakurada are from Sailor Moon, and finally Shiori is from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Parts of this episode , in a somewhat different form, have appeared previously in: Sailor Moon:Love and Lightning.


	7. Winter Three

Another Winter's Night

Hitomi smiled up at Makoto as she walked in. 'She's so cute,' Hitomi thought, looking the taller girl over, her athletic form dressed in a tight, business style dress. 'She's even wearing a tie,' Hitomi sighed, unconsciously adjusting her own school uniform.

Her smile instantly turned into a little frown when she realized Matoko was here with a date. Haruna Sakurada followed Matoko in, wearing a slinky, long dress that swept around her. 'Oh, well,' Hitomi thought a bit mournfully, 'I guess all the good ones are taken.'

Before Hitomi could think of anything else, strong arms slid around her body from behind her. She loudly squealed as they squeezed her, and she whirled around to see Milerna standing right behind her, a little smile on her face. She wore a loose while shirt and skintight leather pants, a jacket resting over her slim shoulders.

"Did you miss me?" Milerna asked her with a cocky little grin, looking almost pirate like in the dim light of the bar.

As they walked inside, Makoto smiled as a slow song came on over the sound system. "You look lovely tonight," Makoto said softly into Haruna's ear. She bent closer, whispering, "Would you like to dance with me?"

"I'd love to," Haruna said, looking up at her with a smile. Makoto gently led Haruna over to the dance floor and then took her into her arms. She snuggled in to Makoto as they slowly swayed together to the music. One slow song seemed to flow into another as they lost themselves to the pleasures of the dance.

Over by the jukebox, and concealed from their line of sight, Natsuna and Minako fretted as they went over the music selection. "We're running out of slow songs," Minako complained, frowning down at the list.

"It looks like they're having a good time though," Natsuna said, looking out at Haruna and Makoto dancing together. Makoto gently held Haruna in her arms, in a posture that said 'I have no intention of letting you go, ever'. "Are there any not-so-fast songs?" Natsuna asked.

Minako nodded, feeding more coins in and then pressing more buttons. "I hope they appreciate this," Minako said wryly.

"Don't worry," Natsuna said archly to her, "I promise I'll reward you myself, later." Minako blushed faintly.

A tall, pink haired woman came over to them, her long hair flowing down her back. She wore a man's suit, slightly altered to fit, and looked both classy and cool. "Could you do me a favor and put 'Sometimes, Love can' on, please?" she asked, pressing some coins into the surprised Minako's hand. She soon was swaying out on the dance floor, holding a dark skinned girl with purple hair held close to her.

Elsewhere on the large dance floor, Misato relaxed in Priss' arms as they swayed to the music. "Hmm, I've missed you," Misato sighed.

A gentle kiss, "With my job and yours we don't see each other as often as I'd like." A thoughtful look, "But if we did it more often, I figure one of us wouldn't survive."

"I'm not that demanding!" Misato protested cutely. 'Still, I was the one who suggested a morning quickie last time,' she admitted to herself. "Some progress of the Rei and Asuka front," she reported to Priss with a smile.

Priss grinned, thinking of that odd little couple, "What's happened?"

"Rei's moved into Asuka's room," Misato said with a grin.

Priss was about to ask about that when she was bumped into by someone. She turned around, only to see... herself.

Urd looked over at the older Priss and the strange lady in surprise, keeping a firm grip on her own Priss' arm. "Well, this is interesting," she said dryly.

"What in the world?" Misato said, holding on to her Priss firmly, too.

The longer, spiky haired Priss found herself meeting the eyes of a slightly older, less punk version of herself. "I don't think I want to try and figure this out," one Priss finally sighed out softy to the other one.

The other Priss firmly nodded her agreement. "I really need to get a beer," she said with a smile, and both of them laughed softly.

Misato and Urd exchanged a knowing look, and each of them took a hold of their Priss and then headed off in opposite directions. "You're probably a bad influence on yourself, you know that?" Urd remarked.

Makoto smiled a bit sadly as Haruna eased herself back a bit from her grip. She looked up, Makoto's hands resting on her shoulders, then pulled Makoto down into a kiss on the lips. She wrapped her arms around Makoto's neck and kept on kissing, until they had to separate for a breath. 'Wow,' Makoto thought dazedly.

"I've wanted to do that for the last few weeks," Haruna admitted. She smiled shyly. "It was as nice as I hoped."

Makoto leaned down and kissed Haruna this time, using all the kissing experience she had gathered over they years. "How was that?"

"Even better," Haruna admitted breathlessly.

"Do you want to come home with me again?" Makoto asked with a smile.

"As long as we're both in that comfortable bed of yours," Haruna answered.

"I think I can guarantee that," Makoto said, sliding a arm around Haruna's shoulders.

Our Cast This Episode: Hitomi and Milerna are from Escaflowne the Movie, Makoto, Minako, Haruna and Natsuna are from Sailor Moon, Misato, Rei and Asuka are from Neon Genesis Evangelion, Urd is from Oh My Goddess, And finally the two Prisses are from Bubblegum Crisis, original and 2040.

Parts of this episode , in a somewhat different form, have appeared previously in: Sailor Moon: Love and Lightning.

Author's Note: In A Goddess Comes to Call, Priss Asagiri (2040) meets and falls for Urd. In Girls Night Out, Priss (Original series) meets and becomes the snuggle bunny of Misato.

An cute little imaginary SD version of Priss Asagiri pops up, angrily proclaiming to everyone who can hear her, "I'm not her snuggle bunny!"

SD Misato tackles her, loudly proclaiming "Yes you are!" Both SD characters fall into a tangle of arms and legs, and from the sound effects it appears that they're having a good time.

The problem is, I had both versions show up in the Locket at different times. So. I decided, why not have them meet...


	8. Juri's Tales Two

Juri's Tales: Part Two.

Priss, the relief bouncer, looked at the two young men rather distainfully. Mr Morden held up a small slip of paper, pleading, "But we've got invitations and everything!" Shane hid just behind him to protect himself from the tough looking lady. In the background, the Akio-car sits, it's engine softly purring it's contentment.

"I don't care," Priss pointed out to them calmly, "this is a ladies bar, understand?" She gave them a glare, and they took a involuntary step backwards.

Realizing they were not getting by her, they sighed sadly, and took off to drown their sorrows elsewhere. Meanwhile, inside the bar...

Sylvie looked at Minagi with a look of honest surprise on her face. "You've got EX?!" she squeaked out happily.

Minagi handed her the requested can of beer with a small chuckle. Sylvie looked at it with a grin before chugging it in one smooth gesture. "We carry a wide variety of drinks, too," Minagi said with a smile.

Sylvie gets a bit teary eyed, her lower lip quivering, "But I like my EX!" Minagi just sighed softly in reply, noticing the odd looks they were getting. Ryouko stood against the other side of the counter, laughing softly.

Juri walked by one table, where Umi and Fuu sat looking remarkably irritated about something. "What's going on?" Juri asked them with a frown. If there was a problem with the club, Juri wanted to know imediately.

Umi scowled and pointed out onto the dance floor instead of answering aloud. Juri looked at the crowd of dancing young women with a frown, then she saw what Umi was pointing at. Juri smirked slightly, getting a glare from both seated young ladies.

Connie and Hikaru broke from the crowd, dancing closely together. Connie kept a firm grip on the cutie, looking quite obvious in her intent not to let her go for the rest of the evening. Juri gave the two remaining Magic Knights a shrug before heading off.

Juri smiled, looking over her special guests with a bit of amusement. The young women all looked like they were having a good time. She looked a bit concerned when she noticed a tall woman cutting through the crowd towards one of the guests.

Roxanna looked up from her drink, her eyes widening. The blonde looked down at her with distain, her eyes filled with arrogant pride. She looked much like a huntress who had just discovered her very favorite prey.

Goldie slid a finger under Roxanna's chin, pushing her face up so that their eyes met. "I understand you've been writting stories about me," she said in a dangerous purr.

Roxanna had a 'deer in the headlights' look on her face. She opened her mouth to say something in her own defence, but Goldie gently pushed her mouth closed. She tugged Roxanna up to her feet, putting them face to face and making Roxanna drop her strawberry daiquiri.

Her lips brushed Roxanna's ear as she whispered, "Upstairs, room number three." She turned and walked to the stairs, her body swaying sexily. Roxanna stood there in stuned shock a moment, before scrambling after her.

Juri sighed in relief, watching them go. She just hoped Roxanna knew what she might be getting into, going off with that dangerous lady. She noticed a woman sitting in a corner, drinking quietly and watchig the goings on. Juri made her way through the crowd, pulled out a chair, and sat down beside her.

"Nice to see you, Rehanna," Juri said a bit nervously.

Rehanna raised her glass with a friendly smile, and Juri instantly felt a bit better. "We've missed you over at the Miko," she chided Juri gently.

"Sorry," Juri said with a little shrug, looking around her, "I've been a bit busy lately." She gestured, and May came over to take her order. "One of my specials, please," Juri said.

May came back, put Juri's drink down as well as a refill in front of Rehanna. "But I didn't order," Rehanna started.

May bowed, smiling at her sweetly, "Compliments of the house." Before she could say anything else, another table asked for a refill. "Coming!" she cried, and jogged off.

Rehana smilied thankfully at Juri, and they clinked their glasses together in a toast. "I'm not surprised you're busy," Rehanna commented knowingly. She looked at Juri thoughtfully, "I never really saw you as the nightclub type. I was wondering, why did you..." she trailed off, and looked around the bar.

"It's a bit of a long story," Juri said with a little smile. Rehana looked at her curiously, so she cleared her throat, took a sip of her ginger ale, and started...

"I guess it all began with my Aunt. She was an incredible business woman, knowing when to invest and when to sit on her money. By the time she was twenty, she had made her first million, but it wouldn't be her last." Juri chuckled softly, "As you can imagine, my family spent much of their time trying to suck up to the old lady."

She took a sip, "But as much as they may have admired her wealth, they just as strongly disapproved of her personal life. You see, she had lived for years with a longtime companion of the female variety. Anyway, she held the family in a great deal of contempt for their hypocracy."

"Personally, I never joined in the attempts to butter the old lady up. I went about my life, and when I turned twenty one, I came out of the closet. A day later, and I was officially kicked out of the house."

"My Aunt was furious at my father, not to mention quite devious, and she rewrote her will soon after. A few years later she died, and the family gathered like circling vultures for the reading of the will." She smiles slightly, "They nearly died when they found out my Aunt left all her money to me and her companion, with some stipulations."

"Stipulations?" Rehanna echoed.

"I had to be very much 'out of the closet' to inherit, and in a way that highlighted my identity. Hence the name of this little club," she laughed. "Not something my dear old dad can sweep under the rug,"

"So you did this just to inherit the money?" Rehanna asked, sounding just a little disapointed with Juri.

Juri shook her head, "Maybe in the beginning." She smiles, "I've found that I really enjoy this, running a nightclub and making a place where my friends can come to and be themselves safely, no matter what."

Rehanna nodded thoughfully, "You do look like you're happy." She got up, smiling down at Juri, "I hope we'll see you at the Miko occasionally, though."

"Will do," Juri said, giving her a sketchy salute.

Our Cast This Episode: Mr Morden, Sylvie, Connie, Roxanna and Rehanna are all real people whom the Author, Shane, talks with online! Priss is from Bubblegum Crisis, Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are from Magic Knight Rayearth, and Goldie is from Gunsmith Cats.

The Staff: The bar's owner is Arisugawa Juri, from Revolutionary Girl Utena. Minagi, Ryouko and Sasami are from the series Tenchi Muyo. Keiko is also from Utena. Cyberdoll May is from Hand Maid May. Excel and Hyatt are from Excel Saga. Hitomi is from Escaflowne, the movie. And finally, Tendo Nabiki is from Ranma 1/2.

Author's Notes: Don't worry, I don't plan on having real people in these stories very often. "The Miko" that Rehanna and Juri both mention is "The Drunken Miko" a series of online episode stories Rehanna has written, often featuring real people in cameos, myself included. They appear semi- regularly on the Blood Soaked and Honor Bound Yahoo Group, and are quite entertaining. Mr Morden, Sylvie and Connie all post on that group as well. Roxanna Ohtori, the leader of the Insanity Brigade Yahoo Group, is a author of darky erotic Utena, Sailor Moon, and recently, Gunsmith Cats fics. She rather likes Goldie, so...

Bonus Material! Section 1 by Mor'loki, Section 2 by Akio-sama, both from the Blood Soaked and Honor Bound Yahoo Group!

1) ::Mor'loki, Zi-chan, and Ranma approach Arisugawa's Locket, very giggly (nix Zi-chan) and very PVC.::

Ranma: Ano, Priss-san

Priss: No

Zi-chan: Priss-sensei?

Priss: No

Mor'loki: Priss-sama?

Priss: What part of no don't you understand?

Mor'loki: The 'no' bit

Priss: You're all bi

All: Hah?

Priss: Only dykes in the bar. No halfsies

Mor'loki: But! But! But!

Priss: Go to Babylon if that's what you want.

Zi-chan: Ah fuck.

Ranma: Let's just go home

Mor'loki: ::being dragged away:: Juri-san! Shane-san! Onegai!

-Mor'loki

2) ::Walks up to Shane and Mr. Morden::

Purple Haired Guy: I know how to gain access. Just follow me.

::The two follow obediently as Purple Haired Guy ushers them into his special version of the Akio Car. The trio drive off::

::A few minutes later...::

::All three disembark. Now they stand in front of mysterious looking building. Entering, they witness an interesting site: Kojiro, Marron, and Kuja in full cross-dressing outfits helping others dress the same::

Sephiroth: Ow! Hey! Careful of my hair!

Yukito: ::holding a comb with hairpins sticking out of his mouth:: Sorry.

Eagle: Hm, which color do you think I should go with?

Yaten: ::hands him a tube of lipstick:: This one. It brings out your eyes.

Purple Haired Guy: ::shouts to Marron:: We've got a couple more for you.

Marron: ::gives the OK sign::

Purple Haired Guy: ::turns to the others:: See, we know all about Juri's little "ladies bar." We thought it'd be funny to pay them a little...visit.

Ilpalazzo: ::speaks up from where he's preparing Fish Eye's hair:: Yes. My agents have gone AWOL. Again. ::grins as he day dreams about blowing Excel up with a rocket launcher again::

Shane: Are you sure that's such a smart idea? What if we get caught?

Purple Haired Guy: ::shrugs:: Then we figured we'd all go to the Anime Moulin Rouge and get smashed there.

::Just then, Pegasus and Dilandau come over and lead the two away to be "bishounen-ized"::

Purple Haired Guy: ::sits down at his own personal chair::

Kaworu: So, what sort of look do you want?

Purple Haired Guy: ::smiles:: Gimme an "Ceres Alexander Special."

Kaworu: Coming right up...

-Akio, The One to Blame

PS. Alexander is the name of the scientist in "Ceres" that has blond hair and spectacles. While I don't like his hair color, I like the way it's designed. Can you tell I have a thing for gray haired bishies? They rock!

Cast: Shane, Mr. Morden, Purple Haired Guy, Kojiro (Pokemon), Marron (Bakuretsu Hunters), Kuja (FF9), Sephiroth (FF7), Yukito (CCS), Eagle (MKR), Yaten (Sailor Moon), Ilpalazzo (Excel Saga) ,


End file.
